After revealing this key component of the story line, the Harington mentions that when he was first told of this secret himself - there were very few people he was "allowed" to tell - which, of course, did not include his parents.

What follows is a highlight of one particular nonverbal of Jon Snow's, er, ah, Kit Harington's - which is very common - yet not understood in the least by the vast majority of people.

Harington continues his instructions of secrecy at 0:43, "... and now you know. And you can't tell your Mum, you can't tell your Dad, you can't tell your brother, you can't tell your friends - no one."

The R2E2 may be displayed as a microexpression - or a bit longer as it is here - primarily manifested for about one second, yet with a slow "trailing off" for about another second (thus an example of a macroexpression).

The vast majority of those who claim to know body language will misinterpret R2E2 displays as disgust or, as it appears closer to in this example - contempt. How can you differentiate R2E2s from these other two emotional displays?

The R2E2 is an expression which is extremely common. Whenever you see it though, you should ask yourself:

Does this person truly believe what they're saying?

Of what precisely are they trying to convince me?

What's their underlying emotion?

What's their underlying motive?

Why are they trying so hard to persuade me?

Very often those using the R2E2 are trying too hard to rationalize. They're trying to convince both us - and themselves. Something they've done, are planning to do, or something they've said - which they don't believe in 100% (or often not even 50%) - and they're trying to dial up our Empathy so that we agree with them - they want to gain our rapport and support. It's an effort to get a sort of an accomplice.

It's common that the R2E2 can be indicative of, and clustered with other signals of patronizing
behavior - sort of a subtle pat on the head - a nicer version of, "please just shut up and listen". These often include situations when there is an expertise disparity between the individuals/groups.

What are some professional settings where the R2E2 is seen more frequently?

It's profoundly important to note, that as with any nonverbal behavior which may build rapport - if it's over-used, or used out-of-context - these will destroy rapport. Be very cautious of anyone who over-uses the R2E2 (or any body language) - for in such scenarios you are (at best) very likely being manipulated.

0:54.4

This expression, 0.3 seconds prior to the example above is sometimes all you see of the Rationalization Rapport Empathy Expression.

Subscribe To Body Language Success

As a Body Language Expert & Physician, I've benefited dramatically from the Art and Science of Nonverbal Communication for more than 20 years.

______________________________

This website serves as a reference source for the art and science of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the author. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc., are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others’ body language as well as the projection of one’s own nonverbal skills in many different contexts – not to advance any political, religious or other agenda.

Body Language Success

This website serves as a reference source for the art and science of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the author. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc., are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others’ body language as well as the projection of one’s own nonverbal skills in many different contexts – not to advance any political, religious or other agenda.